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Commentary: A new understanding of Cuba

 


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Commentary: A new understanding of Cuba

Feb. 17, 2004

A UMNS Commentary by the Rev. Steve Horswill-Johnston*

I was born a Cold War baby.

My understanding of Cuba is informed principally by a series of memories: the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban missile crisis, JFK conspiracy allegations, a decades-long U.S. trade embargo, refugees on rafts, Cuban dissidents living in Miami and a seemingly uneducated, cigar-smoking, ruthless dictator who wears a military uniform.

Although I knew my childhood memories were likely distorted and twisted, I didn't know how much until I traveled to that Caribbean nation this winter as part of a delegation from the National Council of Churches in the U.S.A.

Nearly four years ago, the council helped bring Elian Gonzales, the boy lost at sea, back to Cuba to reunite him with his father. On this trip, we planned to meet with the Cuban Council of Churches and witness the consecration of the first Greek Orthodox Church in Cuba for more than 44 years, led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

When I arrived, I was immediately struck by how the U.S. trade embargo affects Cuba. Much of the nation is stuck in a time before the Castro-led revolution of 1959. Pre-embargo 1950s Buicks and turquoise-colored Chevrolets, many of which are still in excellent condition, are a common sight. New buildings are a rare sight.

It was the next night at a convention center when a Cuban told me something I didn't know about Fidel Castro. The proud older gentleman said, "Our president has a Ph.D., you know." Actually, I didn't.

Several hundred were in attendance that night to hear the ecumenical patriarch speak as part of a series of events leading up to the consecration. Dressed in the traditional long Greek Orthodox black cassock and tall black cap, his theme was world environmental concerns.

But before he could speak, he was upstaged by a surprise. The audience suddenly stood, clapped, and in walked President Fidel Castro without announcement. He waved to those gathered and quickly sat down just three rows in front of me. I felt a pang of nervousness as I abandoned the patriarch's speech, instead mesmerized by the fact I was in the same room with my childhood communist metaphor. After a few minutes, he seemed smaller.

In his green military uniform, Castro appeared to be in good health and genuinely liked by the people. His entrance was in stark contrast to how I've experienced a U.S. president's arrival at a similar event, when everyone was well-searched and rows of metal detectors stood outside. No security checks were present here as people walked up and took photographs as they wished.

I discovered that, only months earlier, Fidel Castro had spoken to the nation about his environmental concerns, which he shares with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. It didn't fit my image of him.

During my visit with the delegation, I saw Castro three times, coming as close as a handshake to him. Once he looked at me briefly as he passed by, his eyes scanning the crowd.

More important, however, were meetings with regional church leaders. Although the National Council of Churches' relationship with the Cuban Council of Churches predates the Cuban revolution, many leaders expressed anxiety over U.S.-Cuban relations.

One Cuban told me his fear of Cuba's being on President Bush's "Axis of Evil" list. He said, "Honestly, I feel that your president may look to Cuba next before the election."

I asked what he meant. "Afghanistan-Iraq-Iran-North Korea-Cuba," he said, referring to the recent U.S. history of pre-emptive war.

Efforts by the National Council of Churches to normalize U.S. relations with Cuba are greatly appreciated by Cuban church leaders. They hope our collective work will change the hearts of politicians in this election year. Almost every discussion included the expressed wish of lifting the embargo, expressed as an almost-constant breath prayer to God. I've joined in the prayer since my return.

Cuba will remain an enigma to me. Up close, it does not live up it its reputation as a communist society ruled by a ruthless dictator. It cannot be experienced in a single trip or perhaps in even a dozen. That's not because its people are poor, or that its president withholds certain civil liberties from the citizens, or even because its socialist organization and economy are traditionally feared by us capitalists.

Cuba really is not at all an entity that thinks and acts as one. Understanding this has helped me as a father, a husband and a pastor. The visit reminded me that my children don't have to possess certain, particular characteristics to be American. There is no unique set of American characteristics, just as there is no unique set of Cuban characteristics.

News media contact: Tim Tanton · (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org

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